Constellations I
by Roxy95Violet
Summary: The Doctor has had many women in the TARDIS over the years but there is no one more mysterious than the O'Connell women. Rewrite of Star Clusters from the Doctor's POV. Set during series one.


**1) Rose and Alexandra**

* * *

On the busy road over London Bridge, two people ran along the path. A man dressed in a black leather jacket and a blond woman in a hoodie. "Think of it. Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive." the Doctor said. "The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"

"The breast implants…" Rose added.

"Still, we found the transmitter." They came to a stop. "The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

Rose ran over to the edge and looked down at a manhole. "What about down here?"

The Doctor ran over and looked down. "Looks good to me." They ran down the stairs. The Doctor took the lid off it. Red light glowed from inside and smoke poured out. They climbed down. The Doctor opened a door that lead into a chamber. They went down the steps and saw a orange wobbling gunk in the middle of the chamber.

"The Nestene Consciousness, that's it, inside that vat. A living, plastic creature." the Doctor told Rose.

"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." Rose said.

"I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance." the Doctor said. He looked over to it and frowned. A woman with blond hair in a white blouse and grey pencil skirt. stood leaning against the rails talking to it. She looked like a business woman. Maybe she was in on it. The Doctor slowly walked down the steps to her.

She turned around and saw him. She frowned. "Oh, look who finally decided to show up!" she said sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" the Doctor said, taken aback.

"My message. I sent you a message about the Nestene Consciousness. You're late." she said.

"That was you!" the Doctor said, shocked. "But no-one can send messages to me."

"I can." she shrugged and turned to the vat. "Anyway, let's get this over with. We seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract. According to convention fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation." The orange gunk wobbled and moved. "Thank you. May we approach?"

Rose paced around behind them. She spotted something and ran off. The woman frowned in confusion. The Doctor just rolled his eyes. There were more important things right now like the unknown woman. He followed her suspiciously. How does she know about the Shadow Proclamation? How does she know about the Nestene Consciousness?

"Oh, my God! Mickey! It's okay! It's alright!" Rose said squatting next to him.

Mickey pointed at the vat in fear. "That thing down there, the liquid, Rose, it can talk!" he said.

"You're stinking! Doctor, they kept him alive!" Rose shouted down to him.

"Yeah, that was always a possibility." the Doctor said, not taking his eyes off the woman. "Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

"You knew that and you never said?" she replied.

"Can we keep the domestics outside?" the woman said. Rose helped Mickey to his feet. "Am I addressing the consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"

The vat of plastic moved in response. "Oh don't give me that, it's an invasion! Plain and simple!" the Doctor said. "Don't talk about constitutional rights!"

The plastic responded again. "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf, go." the woman said.

Two plastic dummies grabbed the Doctor from behind. "Doctor!" Rose and the woman shouted. One of the dummies reached into his pocket and pull out a tube of blue liquid.

"Is that anti-plastic?" the woman asked. "Why would you bring anti-plastic?!"

"That was just insurance! I wasn't going to use it." he said to her and the Consciousness. The plastic roared angrily.

"Well there goes the idea of peace." the woman remarked.

"I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy." he said. "I swear, I'm not… what do you mean?"

Two doors opened to reveal the blue box. "Oh, oh no, honestly, no! Yes, that's my ship." The plastic roared again. "That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war, it wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

"What's it doing?!" Rose shouted.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene has identified its superior technology, it's terrified! It's going to the final base. It's starting the invasion." the woman replied.

"Rose! Just leg it! Now!" the Doctor shouted.

Rose dialled her phone and held it to her ear. "Mum?!.. Where are you, mum?… Go home! Just go home, right now!… Mum?! Mum!"

"It's the activation signal!" the Doctor said. "It's transmitting!"

"The end of the world…" Rose said.

"Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!" he said.

"The stairs have gone!" Rose and Mickey ran over to the TARDIS. "I haven't got the key!"

"We're gonna die!" Mickey said. They both cowered at the TARDIS doors.

"Always such drama queens." the woman muttered. She pulled out a gun and shot one of the dummies holding the Doctor. The dummy's head came off and the vile of blue liquid smashed on the floor. She put her gun away, ran over and kicked the other dummy into the vat.

"The anti-plastic! What have you done? Now there's no way to stop it!" the Doctor yelled at her.

She rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! Unlike you, I always have back up plans! Or if you will…" she went and grabbed her suit jacket from the railings and reached into her pocket, pulling out another vile of anti-plastic. "…insurance." she smiled.

The Doctor grinned. The woman threw the vile into the vat. "Now we're in trouble." he said. He grabbed her hand and ran off. The consciousness writhed. The Doctor and the woman ran over to Rose and Mickey and got in the TARDIS. The whole chamber went up in flames as the TARDIS disappeared.

* * *

As soon as the TARDIS landed, Mickey was out the door like a shot. Rose tapped away at her phone like a spaceship that was bigger on the inside was completely normal. She stared at the screen as she stepped out the TARDIS, leaving the Doctor and the unknown alone. The woman sat on the pilot's seat watching as the Doctor fiddled with the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked up from what he was doing to see her staring. "What?" he asked.

She stared at him in shock. Her eyes filled with sadness. Her mouth fell open, unable to think of anything to say. She slowly walked forwards until she was right in front of him.

The Doctor watched the woman walk over to him with curious eyes and frowned when she placed a hand on his right cheek like she was familiar with him. She cleared her throat. "Look at you. You're so young." she said.

"I'm really not." he told her, eyeing her suspiciously.

"But you are." she said. "You've just come from the Time War, haven't you?"

The Doctor's eyes snapped to hers. "How do you know about the Time War?" he demanded.

She swallowed hard and retracted her hand. "I should go." she said, turning for the door. "Meeting you this early in your timeline is dangerous."

The Doctor reached out and grabbed hold of her wrist in a bruising grip. "No. You tell me everything. Have you met me before? How do you know about the Time War? Who are you? Tell me!" he shouted in her face. He looked at the features of her face. Her small freckled nose, her long eyelashes framing her chocolate brown eyes.

The woman's face hardened and she shook her head. She pulled her arm out of his grasp and walked threateningly towards him. The Doctor backed up until he was against the console. "I was right." she said. "You are young. You're a child and you need someone to look after you."

"And you're that person?" the Doctor challenged.

"No." she said. She made a face like she was going to be sick. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Rose is. She can help you, Doctor. Take her on one trip and you'll see you need somebody. Trust me." She said leaving again.

"But who are you?" the Doctor called after her.

She stopped at the door. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Alexandra O'Connell." She opened the doors and left. The Doctor was left staring at the doors in confusion. That woman was a mystery. She knew so much about space and time. The way she held herself was almost regal and posh but the way she spoke was like an ordinary human.

The Doctor snapped out of it and ran after her. However, when he stepped out the TARDIS, she was nowhere to be seen. Gone like a ghost. Rose was stood next to Mickey who cowered against a garage whimpering. The Doctor looked around once more for Alexandra before turning to the humans. "Nestene Consciousness?" He snapped his fingers. "Easy." he gloated.

"You were useless in there." Rose said, teasing him. "You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."

The Doctor frowned thinking back to what Alexandra said. "Yes, I would. Thank you." he told her. "Right then! I'll be off." He paused thoughtfully. Maybe he did need someone. "Unless, uh… I don't know… you could come with me." he suggested. Rose looked at him, putting her hands in her pockets. "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know, it goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."

"Don't!" Mickey cried. "He's an alien! He's a thing!"

"He's _not _invited." the Doctor added. "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked, tempted by the offer.

"Yeah." he nodded.

Mickey wrapped his arms around her legs and held on like a kid. Rose looked down at him. She could leave him or her mum. Not after what happened. "Yeah, I can't… I've um… gotta go and find my mum and um… someone's gotta look after this stupid lump." she laughed, patting Mickey's back. "So…"

The Doctor nodded, trying not to show his disappointment. "Okay. See you around." he piped. He went back inside the TARDIS. Rose stared after him, still unsure this is what she wanted. The TARDIS engines started and the TARDIS disappeared. Rose remained staring at the spot thoughtfully.

"Come on, let's go." she said to Mickey. Mickey stared in shock at the space the TARDIS used to be. "C'mon. C'mon." she said, helping him up. They walked away as the TARDIS engines filled the air again. They spun around and the little blue box was back.

The Doctor poked his head out. "By the way," he said, "did I mention, it also travels in time?" He grinned going back inside. He left the door open slightly, knowing she couldn't resist now.

Rose watched him go back in. This was her second chance and she wasn't going to let it pass. Especially the opportunity to time travel. She turned to Mickey. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" he asked, completely confused about what was going on.

"Exactly." Rose said, kissing him on the cheek. She smiled broadly and ran into the TARDIS after the Doctor.

* * *

A/N Happy 50th Anniversary! So I've written this story as a part of the Star Clusters series but the other stories have spoilers in it, so don't read it if you don't want to ruin the mystery.

Also, reviews are appreciated even if it's criticism.


End file.
